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Pluralsight Acquires “Learn-to-Code” Platform Code School for $36 Million

Acquisition Is Pluralsight’s Sixth in 18-Month Spa

Code School Offers Learning for All Skill Levels, Providing an End-to-End Educational Experience

Pluralsight and Code School Unlock 72 Hours of Free Learning on Both Training Platforms

SALT LAKE CITY – Pluralsight, a global leader in online training for technology professionals, today announced the acquisition of Code School, an online learn-to- code destination, for $36 million. By acquiring Code School, Pluralsight’s portfolio of e-learning solutions now offers a broader range of coding courses and learning styles, providing an end-to- end solution for users of all levels and skill sets. To commence the announcement, interested learners who register between January 26-30 will receive 72 hours of free access to all courses offered on Code School, Pluralsight and Digital-Tutors.

The acquisition of Code School is Pluralsight's sixth in the past 18 months, continuing the company’s aggressive expansion in the e-learning industry, which Global Industry Analysts (GIA) projects to be a $107 billion market in 2015. While several of the company’s acquisitions have focused on adding learning content, Pluralsight's most recent acquisition of Boston-based Smarterer for $75 million was to create a more advanced and credible industry standard for skills measurement. The company also acquired Oklahoma City-based Digital-Tutors for $45 million to expand into online training courses for designers, digital artists and other creative professionals. This series of acquisitions has made Pluralsight one of the world's largest, most comprehensive online learning platforms, with nearly 4,000 courses.

With the addition of Code School, Pluralsight can now reach developers at all stages of their careers, including those who have limited coding experience. Pluralsight’s market consolidation has been fueled by the Utah-based company’s $162.5 million in venture backing from Insight Venture Partners, ICONIQ Capital and Sorenson Capital.

“We recognize there are numerous ways to learn and are committed to bringing new learning styles to the Pluralsight family of products,” said Aaron Skonnard, CEO and co-founder of Pluralsight. “Code School has differentiated itself as a fun, efficient, hands-on way to learn, offering introductory to advanced courses that are really effective. Together we will continue to help professionals remain relevant and ensure businesses stay on top of the latest trends and technologies.”

Founded in 2011, Code School has embarked on a rapid growth path on the strength of its signature teaching style. It excels at explaining complicated topics in a simple way through interactive in-browser coding challenges that allow members to win badges and earn points as they experiment with a technology. Code School doubled its member-base over the past year. Code School will continue to play a central role in filling the industry-wide talent shortage around today’s most in-demand coding skills.

"By joining Pluralsight, we can focus on creating the best way to get started with a new technology," said Gregg Pollack, founder and CEO of Code School. "We're excited to have a place to direct customers who want to dive deeper into a topic, and we encourage them to explore Pluralsight's vast library of technology courses."

In addition to 72 hours of free access for interested learners, Code School will also release one Pluralsight course for 10 consecutive weeks on its site, allowing subscribers to explore additional technology topics. Pluralsight subscribers can also benefit from Code School’s free courses to acquire new skills through complementary and interactive learning methods.